Blog 5: Web Essay Topic Info

Before I started my researching I was stuck between two topics. Thank you to those who commented on my subject; from that I was able to narrow it down a little more easily! 

The topic I chose is the concept of how the internet or cyberspace is taking over our lives. Everything that we do, we do, or can do, online. In my essay I want to explore the different avenues of what we can do on the internet and just how much it effects our everyday lives. 

For example: Communication (email, instant messaging, facebook, myspace...); Daily Chores (shopping, groceries, ordering dinner, develop pictures, refill prescriptions...) 

I of course will narrow that down a little bit more when the time comes but those are currently my ideas for my essay. In class we did Exercise one on page 19 of Johnson-Eilola. 

Just a few of the things I found

http://www.fbbook.com/fblog/category/from-the-book/you-story/

 This website is actually a blog for a book that a person wrote about facebook and how our lives are very consumed by facebook. I found some very interesting information on the blog because someone made a post talking about relationships. She makes mention that a breakup is not official until you change your status on facebook. I don't know about anyone else but I know this is an on going joke between my friends and I. We feel the exact same way, once you change you facebook status, everyone starts becoming so concerned about your life. 

the second website i found was for Information Week, Defining the Business Value of Technology

http://www.informationweek.com/showarticle.jhtml?articleID=196902629

on this site I found an article that talks about how Americans are spending too much time on the internet. The header of the article is "Report reveals 65% of U.S are spending more time with their computers than with their significant others." It goes on to give a few more facts about our internet usage and so on, but I felt that that quote alone was very significant for my research. 

The third site I found was actually a site for Parents, 

http://parenting.families.com/blog/do-you-kids-spend-too-much-time-online

there was an article on the site asking if Parents felt that their children spend too much time on the internet. The site offers information to parents to regulate their child's usage of the internet as well as ways to protect them. A very interesting fact, though I'm not sure I'll use it, was this: "80% of the parents reported that their kids grades had not gone up or down with their child's internet usage" and "Americans 66 and older remain the most disconnected. For all other age groups at least 74% are online with the largest concentration(99%) being those who are 18 and under"

I'm still in the process of developing my idea and researching some more for it. Dr. Chandler and I have discussed me polling some of my friends, family and university students to get their opinions and internet usage patterns. If anyone has any comments or suggestions please leave them, I'd very much appreciate it!